The Way It Should Be
by DiTab1
Summary: One Shot.  My vision for the Season 7 premiere.  If you haven't finished Season 6 then do not read!  I won't say more than that in the Summary because I don't want to give away any spoilers.  Sooooo open it up and read! Reviews always welcome!


**A/N: Warning this story picks up immediately at the end of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" so if you haven't finished Season 6 STOP NOW! *giggle* Ok... so if you are still reading then here are my thoughts on how Season 7 should start. So many friends are concerned about the conflict between Dean and Cas and where this will lead that I felt I had to give them some hope for the future so here you go. Maybe not my best writing submission but it's the thought that counts! Review are love people so let me know what you think. I need all the encouragement I can get to keep sitting down and tearing the boys' hearts out for your pleasure! :P**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own 'em and Kripke keeps refusing to give them to me... but I keep trying!**

"I'm not an angel anymore. I'm your new God, a better one. So, you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord, or I shall destroy you."

The shocked silence in the room was broken by the soft voice of a stranger.

"Castiel."

Dean watched as a whirlwind of emotions crossed over the new God's face. It was difficult to track but he was sure he saw both annoyance, anger, hurt and, yes, fear in those blue eyes that he had come to know so well. His own spidey-senses went into high gear. Who, or what, could make Cas afraid now?

He turned to examine the newcomer and was surprised to see an older man, he looked about seventy, with silver-white hair and a kind face. The look he was giving Castiel was all to familiar to Dean. The sad disappointment in those eyes could only belong to one person. And, at that moment, he completely understood all of the emotions that had passed over the face of what had once been his friend.

"Father?" The disbelief in that one word spoke volumes. Cas had truly believed that his Father was gone. Had abandoned him. "I thought... I prayed, I begged... but you didn't answer...they said you were dead. That you were never coming back. I tried to find you, I did but I couldn't."

"Castiel, have you learned nothing in the millennia that you have served me? Faith is believing when there is no reason to do so. Faith is knowing that I would never forsake you. I thought you were ready Castiel. I was wrong."

"Faith...this was all a test? Why? What did I do to make you doubt me?" There were tears slowly falling now, the ice blue of those pained eyes melting as his anger turned to pain. All of the confidence and bravado that had filled him only moments before disappearing under the weight of his Father's stare.

"You placed another before me Castiel. You chose to follow someone else. You picked him over me... You turned on your brothers, you lost your way. I forgave you, I brought you back from nothing and still you defied my will and doubted my existence."

"But..." Cas looked from his Father to Dean, silently begging for help. No matter what had transpired over the last few months, Dean couldn't help but feel empathy for him. They had become family and, damn it, family stuck together no matter what.

"God...emm.. Lord... sorry, I'm not exactly sure what to call you.." Dean swallowed hard as all eyes in the room turned to him.

"God is fine my child. What is it you wish to say?"

Dean cleared his throat, buying time. Five minutes ago he wouldn't have admitted to believing there was a God and now, he was standing before him, waiting for Dean to speak some great words of wisdom that would make this all right again... this was a little too surreal for even Dean to deal with.

"Look... you can't blame Cas for everything that's happened..." He could almost feel Sammy tense behind him as he felt his own anger begin to build. "Where were you when he needed you? You talk about faith but when every other one of your little army of Angels wrote you off as dead it was Cas that refused to believe it. He spent months looking for you. Faith can only go so far. It's not like you threw out a sign now and then to give him something to hold onto."

Dean expected anger at his accusations and was taken off guard at the lack of response. He'd felt that lack of emotion, lack of caring, too many times over the years from his own father. All of the old emotions came flooding back and his anger flared further.

"Dean...", Sam's hand on his shoulder squeezed out a warning. He was getting out of control and he knew it but, honestly, he just didn't care anymore.

"No Sammy. Maybe that's the problem. No one ever spoke to him like this before. Well, you know what? I've earned the right. It's about time someone stood up to him." Turning back to God he took a step forward.

"You're wrong. This wasn't a test. In a test you have the chance of passing. Cas never had a chance. You set him up to fail. I don't know why, and I don't really care why, but at least have the decency to be honest about it. You say he picked us over you, well, you're right. And you know why? Because you forced him to. You sent him here to protect us and then you fault him for doing exactly what you sent him to do."

He paused, again waiting for the inevitable wrath that his outburst would produce. Instead, the look in those blank eyes changed subtly, now he saw something truly unexpected, interest.

"You would defend him? After all that he has done?"

The question took him off guard. He thought about everything that had happened. How betrayed he had felt. How angry he had been... how hurt. Then he looked into Cas's eyes and saw the hope that flared there. Hope was something they had all had too little of lately. He thought of all of the decisions that he, himself, had made in the past. The choices he had made, some good... some not so good... but always he had thought he was doing the right thing. Always he had thought he was fighting for his family, his friends, hell, for humanity.

In that moment he understood everything. He knew the loneliness that Cas had felt. The confusion and indecision. He understood having his back against the wall and making the hard decisions. Hell, Cas had as much as told him outright why he was doing it but he had been too blinded by hurt and disappointment to listen. He thought about how much it had cost the Angel to admit that Sam and Dean were his family... his only family. And he knew the pain that came from losing that family. Yeah, in that moment it was all crystal clear.

"Yes." Dean turned back to God, ready to fight to the death to protect his family, all of his family. "Cas made some mistakes, hell a lot of them, but what other outcome could there have been. You forced him into situations and decisions that he never had the experience to deal with. He did the best he could. I get it." He turned back to Cas, "I do Cas. I'm sorry. You did what you thought was right, I know that now. I can forgive you Cas... if you can forgive me for not being there for you, for not being the friend you deserved, for being too wrapped up in my own pain to see yours..."

"Dean." That one word said everything. The relief and joy he heard in Cas's voice was enough to fortify him.

"So, there's your answer. Why don't you go back to wherever you've been hiding out and let us work out our own issues. That's what family does... we don't need any help from you."

At some point Sam had come to stand beside him. As he spoke he felt Cas take his place on his other side. This was right. This was how it was supposed to be. As Bobby joined them, completing their line of strength, completing their family, he stood ready to face whatever God could throw at him. He would die for these three, and they would die for him... that was all that really mattered.

God stood quietly, examining the showing of strength and unity before him. Slowly a smile spread across his face. Dean and Cas exchanged a quick glance, both confused by the serenity of the reaction.

"Yes. I was right. You will make a fine Angel someday Dean Winchester. I will look forward to the day when you take your place with us in Heaven. But, until then..."

God tilted his head slightly forward and the room was bathed in a bright warm wash of light. Beside him, Cas dropped to his knees. Worried, he dropped beside him.

"Cas, hey... are you ok?", the anger flared again as he turned back to God, "What did you do to him?"

"It's gone... Dean... it's ok... I'm... ok. They are gone. The souls..." Cas accepted the hand that was held out to help him back to his feet.

"Castiel, you are not ready for the power that comes from that many souls. You have much to learn before you will be ready for that. I can not let your disobedience go unpunished. I have taken your Grace."

Cas's eyes widened as he attempted to reach out with his Grace only to find an emptiness that left him speechless.

"It's not forever Castiel. You will need to earn it back. But," he glanced at the men standing before him with a twinkle in his eye, "I think you are in the best company possible to do so. Learn from each other and know that I will be watching you. Now, there's much work to be done in Heaven... if you will excuse me."

With that he was gone. The room was once again filled with a shocked silence.

"Dean... thank you..." Cas's quiet voice broke the tension in the air.

"Forget it Cas. Water under the bridge. Now, let's get the hell out of here... we got a demon to hunt down and if Crowley thinks he's getting off clean on this one he better think again."

Dean walked towards the door. As Sam and Bobby passed through he turned back to see Castiel standing alone in the room.

"Hey Cas, let's go. We're gonna need all the help we can get to get my baby right side up again. And, if you're quick enough..." He flashed a wicked grin at the former Angel, "You may even get to ride shotgun!"

His friend's answering smile was all he needed to see. Yeah... they would be ok... all of them... they'd come through worse than this before. As the door closed behind him he stopped dead in his tracks... "Wait... did he say I was gonna be an Angel? Oh Helllll no!"

Cas smacked him on the back as he slipped past him. "Welcome to my world Dean... but don't worry... I don't think Heaven is ready for Winchester Angels quite yet."


End file.
